jamerson



L. P. JAMERSON.

' |913. 1,320,233. Patented oct. 28,1919.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET t.

,L. P. JAMERSON.

GUN.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30| |918.

h1,320,233, Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

* fzrfenfor J/ZZwnPJamensU/i Attorney LYLBURN P. JAMERSON, 0F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

GUN.

Leccese.

Specification of .Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

Application led December 30, 19'18. Serial No. 268,807.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, LYLBURN I. JAMER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guns, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to 'improvements in gun construction, and has particular application to guns of that type which employ an explosive mixture to drive or propel the projectile.

In carrying out the present invention it is my purpose to provide a gun whereby the projectile' may be driven through the barrel of the gun by the exploding of a highly compressed explosive mixture behind the projectile, thereby enabling the shell or projectile to be thrownfrom the gun without the use of powder that is now usually employed.

It is also my purpose to provide a gun of the type set forth which will embrace the deired features of simplicity and durability, whi-'h may be constructed and operated at minimum expense, which will embody comparatively few parts and these so arranged and correlated as to reduce the possibility of derangement to a minimum and which will be constructed in such manner that the explosive charge may be highly compressed in the explosion chamber so that when such vcharge is ignited the shell orprojectile will be expelled from the gun by the maximum energy developed by the ignited charge.

With, the above recited objects in view and others of asimilar nature, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view 1n elevation of a gun constructed in accordance with my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the gun.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of one of the projectiles removed from Vthe barrel of the gun.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the gun showing a modified construction of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail 1 designates a barrel and 2 an explosion chamber arranged at one end of the barrel 1 and in communication therewith and a greater diameter than the barrel 1, the transverse and longitudinal dimensions of the explosion chamber 2 being such that the proper volume of the explosive mixture may be delivered to such chamber. Arranged behind the explosion chamber 2 and, in the present instance, axial alinement with the explosion chamber and the barrel 1, is a compression cylinder 3 having the head forming the rear wall of the explosion chamber. Mounted within the compresion cylinder 3 and capable of reciprocatory m0- tion therein is a piston 4 connected with one end of a pitman 5, the other end of which is journaled to a crank shaft 6. .The crank shaft 6 may be driven from an internal combustion engine or electric motor or any other suitable form of prime mover so that rectilinear motion may be imparted to the piston 4 within the compression cylinder 3. In the present form of the invention, a supply pipe 7 is connected with the cylinder 3 adjacent to the head of such cylinder and located in the port that establishes communication between the supply pipe and the cylinder is an inwardly opening valve 8 that controls the flow of the explosive mixture into the cylinder. The head of the cylinder 3 is formed with a discharge port 9 that opens into the explosion chamber` 2 and located in the discharge port 9. is an outwardly opening discharge valve 10 that controls the flow of the mixture to the explosion chamber. 11 designates a spark plug or other form of ignitin device that is located in the explosion c amber and connected with a suitable source of electrical energy so that the mixture in the explosion chamber may be iired, the firing of the mixture being controlled by a timer that is driven from the crank shaft.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings I have shown one form of projectile and shell which may lie used in connection with my improved un and in this `case the projectile embodies -a body 12 which may be solid or of the explosive type, and a case 13 surrounding the body 12 at one end of the latter increasing in diameter from the body 12 toward the outer end of the shell, in the shape of a frustum of a cone. In the present instance the explosion chamber is substantially frustoconical in shape to receive the case 13, while the body l2 of the projectile extends into the barrel of the gun at the juncture of thev barrel with the explosion chamber.

In practice, the projectile is placed in the gun as just described and the prime mover of the crank shaft placed in operation. In the rotation of the crank shaft'the piston in the compression cylinder is operated and upon the outward stroke of said piston a charge of the explosive mixture is drawn into the compression cylinder through .the inwardly 'opening intake valve 8. Upon the compression stroke of the piston 4, the charge in the cylinder is driven through the exhaust valve 10 into the explosion chamber and compressed in such chamber so that when the spark plug'is energized the compressed mixturel may be fired t0 drive the projectile body l2 out of the case and through the barrel of the gun toward its destination.

It will be noted that owing to the construction and arrangement of the valves- 8 and l0, the exhaust valve remains closed upon the intake stroke of the piston 4, and the intake valve remains closed upon compression or exhaust stroke of the piston 4, thereby assuring the proper delivery of the gas inthe compression cylinder of thel explosion chamber. p

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing I have shown the compression cylinder as arranged at right angles to the-barrel of the gun. In this case the end wall of the cylinder'is connected with the source of gas supply while the side wall is connected with the explosion chamber.I It will be understood, however, that the compression chamber may be arranged either coaxial with the gun barrel or at right angles thereto as desired.

Any desired form of the ejecting mechanism may be employed to throwthe empty cases or shells out of the explosion chamber while any approved type of magazine or loading mechanism may be usedto feed the projectiles into the explosion chamber.

I claim 1. A gun comprising a barrel, an explos1ve chamber in axial alinement with said barrel, and including a portion equal vin diameter to' the diameter of the barrel to receive the projectile, the remaining portion of said chamber being of frusto-conical formation, a spark plug projecting into the said chamber, a cylinder having a restricted passage establishing lcommunication between the cylinder and said chamber, a spring pressed valve controlling said communication, a piston arranged to reciprocate within the cylinder, an explosive supply pipe communicating with said cylinder, whereby a charge is drawn into the latter upon the intake stroke of the piston and delivered into the explosive chamber upon the compression stroke, and a valve arranged between the supply pipe and cylinder.

2. A. gun comprising a barrel, an explosive chamber in axial alinement with the barrel, said chamber including a portion of equal diameter to the diameter of the barrel to receive the projectile, the remainlmunicating with the cylinder, whereby a charge is drawn into the latter upon the intake stroke of the piston, vand delivered into the explosive chamber upon the compression stroke, and a valve arranged between the said supply pipe and cylinder.

. In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

LYLBURN P. JAMERSON. 

